School swimming gala and periods - please help!

[overthehill]

My dd is 12 and recently started her periods. She's been using Natracare organic cotton pads, which have been fine so far and which I used as I never got on with tampons. This evening she burst into tears and said that they have a swimming gala on Friday for 2 hours and she wasn't going to be able to do it as her period had started yesterday evening. Swimming is the only sport she's got any aptitude for and she's really upset about the thought of not being able to participate. I suggested that her period might be light enough so that she could just take off her towel beforehand and put it on after, but they have communal changing rooms so that would be tricky. In the book I gave her about periods there was an example where a girl said she liked using tampons so that she could go swimming and dd homed in on this. I did think about buying some tomorrow so that she could try them out - but she seems very young for them, there's not much time for her to practise and I'd want to buy the organic ones, which don't come in a mini size. What would folks advise: should I buy some with and/or without an applicator, should I stick with plan A whereby she takes the towel off before she goes in or should I tell her she'll have to miss it?

Oh dear!!! As advised I duly bought a packet of Tampax minis and a packet of Natracare regular (they don't do minis), both with applicators as generally people seem to agree that they're easier and left them for her to try. Came back from my rehearsal & asked her how she got on. Response: "I couldn't face it." Me: "Couldn't face what? Dd: "Sticking something up inside me"... Oh well!!! I suggested she speak to the PE teacher "I hate her and she hates me" or go to the loo just before her race (she only has one, but the whole thing is 2 hours long) as period lighter now so she could take out pad, but she said that the changing rooms are locked. Honestly, I can remember the trauma of school PE - taking in notes excusing me from (communal) showers when had period & butch PE teacher 'supervising' us all running through shower - and in some ways things don't seem to have changed much.

• I remember very unhelpful school rules and regulations making time of the month VERY hard work when I was still young enough to be a bit embarrassed about things like that. A couple of years later I had NO qualms about announcing loudly that I had my period and NEEDED TO CHANGE MY TAMPON but ugh, horrible to think back on and so sad that it's still made very awkward for young girls.

Oh no overthehill, Maybe she could try non-applicator tampons, i find them much easier and somehow less invasive. Always used lilets.

Don't give up on them, i remember my first swimming session with a period, and my mum telling me over the phone "ask your sister how to do it". I lay on the bathroom floor with the instruction leaflet.

Have always used them, swam 6 times a week as a teen. no problems.
Encourage her to have another try - it would be a shame to miss the gala.

My daughter had probs with tampons, but got on ok with tampax compact- small size- and Tampax mini- they really are tiny.

Buy a few sorts and let her practice at home. They are easier to ue when the period starts and is in full flow, as she won't be so dry, but encourage her just to keep trying.

Perhaps she just felt a bit pressurised with this deadline due to the swimming? It may all be different again in a few weeks. She is still getting used to the idea of having periods. For some girls it is a bigger deal than for others (it was for me for various reasons).

Agree with what bellabelly says - some schools seem to be in the Dark Ages still if this is going on.